Custom Vectorization Parameters

You can create your own vectorization settings with Harmony. The vectorization parameters you create can be saved, shared and also inserted into the VectOptions.conf file used by the Scan and Control Center modules when scanning or vectorizing a series of drawings.

You can use an interface to select and test the different options, as well as type in some advanced settings.

The Vectorization Parameters dialog box lets you vectorize pencil drawings, along with any red, blue or green pencil marks you may have used to indicate highlights and shadows. The drawing will be vectorized into pure red, blue, green and black (RGB values), while creating colour art zones wherever lines connect. After painting in your tones and highlights, change your pure RGB colours to transparent (0 Alpha) in the Colour Picker window and watch the indicator colour zone lines disappear.

Options Tab

The Options tab contains the main vectorization settings. More settings are available in the Help tab.

Parameter

Description

Input

The input filters are applied to the bitmap image before it is vectorized.

One Pass: One threshold value is applied to both the Line and Colour Art. For drawings with distinct vector-style lines of mattes, you only need one pass.

Two Passes: Applies a different threshold value to each layer. For greyscale drawings, you may want to perform the vectorization process twice to apply different threshold values to the Line and Colour Art layers.

Threshold: Determines which values in the scanned image are considered part of the Line or Colour Art layer and what will be eliminated from the vectorized drawing; 0% is white and 100% is black. The threshold is between these two values.

Expand Bitmap: Lets you enter a value to scale the bitmap to detect small variations in the line. Use this option if you scanned a greyscale image and want to preserve small variations in the texture to apply to the line art.

Jag Filter: Lets you enter a value to scale back the bitmap to remove some of the line’s roughness. This is useless when you have a drawing that appears quite rough; the Jag filter will eliminate excess strokes in the final drawing.

Output

The output filters are applied during the vectorization process.

No Colour Art: Does not generate filling zones in the Colour Art layer.

No Texture: Does not generate texture in the Line Art layer in the final images. Select this option to create solid lines in the final line art.

The optical registration options are used to automatically align drawings based on the position of the peg holes on the animation paper. The peg holes must appear in the scanned drawings for the optical registration to work.

DPI: Lets you enter the dots-per-inch value of your image. You must enter the same value as the DPI used to scan the image.

Peg Side: Lets you select the position of the peg holes on your drawings. Identify whether they are on the top, bottom, left or right.

Strictness: Determines how exact the location of the peg holes must be for the software to recognize them. There are two values to choose from:

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Strict: The peg holes must be in a tightly defined area to be recognized.

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Loose: The peg holes can be recognized somewhere in a larger area. This is the recommended setting.

Field Chart: Lets you indicate the size of the animation paper, 12 or 16.

Post Processing

The Post Processing filters are applied to the final vector images.

Remove Holes: Removes holes of a specified value that might make painting difficult.

Remove Dirt: Removes stray marks and dirt of a specified value. Try a value around 500.

Remove HairSize: Removes small strokes that have no line art.

Remove Hair: Number of Passes: The number of times the drawing will be analyzed to identify hair marks.

Miscellaneous

Close Gaps: Closes gaps in the Colour Art so you can paint it.

Smooth Passes for Line Art Before Breaking Triangles: The number of times the smoothing operation runs before creating the triangles that break lines in the drawing. If unnecessary triangles are appearing in the drawing, increase this value.

Smooth Passes for Line Art: The number of times the smoothing operation is performed after the triangles have been created. This further smooths the line art.

Preview

Show Strokes: Shows the strokes in the Vectorized Image panel.

Stroke Thickness: Shows the size of the strokes.

Help Tab

The Help tab contains the most advanced vectorization settings which you type in the Advanced Option fields at the bottom of the Vectorization Parameters dialog box.